Electric scooters under scrutiny after crash claims life of DC official

WatchElectric scooters under scrutiny after crash claims life of DC officialby Jessica James,JohnGonzales

5VIEW ALL PHOTOSA man died after two electric scooters collided Friday evening at an intersection in Southeast Washington, D.C. (Photo: X: Cordell Pugh @CordellTraffic)Comment on this story0CommentShare storySharetopics: Electric-scootersD.C.Talib-ShakirCrashOversightHelmetPublic-safetyShared-rentalWASHINGTON (7News) — Renewed scrutiny and calls for oversight are mounting in the District after a crash between two electric scooters left a D.C. government official dead.

D.C. police said it happened Friday on 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast near Eastern Market, when two electric scooters collided. Both riders were rushed to the hospital, where 50-year-old Talib Shakir later died.

READ | DC official dies after electric scooters collide at Southeast DC intersection

The woman riding the other scooter was treated and has since been released.

Investigators said neither rider was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. D.C. police are still investigating what led to the crash.

Shakir led the mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs, which helps people re-enter society after incarceration. The mayor’s office said Shakir was committed to creating opportunity for D.C. residents and mentoring young people.

READ MORE | Who was Talib Shakir, the DC official killed in Eastern Market scooter crash

He was appointed to lead the Office of Returning Citizen Affairs in December of last year, after previously working in the mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services.

The crash comes as electric scooters have been part of a broader public-safety debate in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region, where critics have described them as a public danger, an eyesore and a nuisance.

Crashes involving scooters have skyrocketed throughout the region over the past several months and concerns have also been raised about scooters being used to help commit crimes.

RELATED | Electric scooters, bikes aid getaways in DC robberies: Should there be more oversight?

Former ANC and city advocate Kathy Henderson, speaking the night before the crash, criticized what she described as a lack of regulation around scooters.

D.C. limits shared rental scooters to 10 mph outside designated speed-limit zones.